Gaming machines which provide players awards in primary or base games are well known. Gaming machines generally require the player to place or make a wager to activate the primary or base game. In such known gaming machines, the amount of the wager made on the base game by the player may vary. In many of these gaming machines, the award is based on the player obtaining a winning symbol or symbol combination and on the amount of the wager (e.g., the higher the wager, the higher the award). Symbols or symbol combinations which are less likely to occur usually provide higher awards.
Certain gaming systems can be implemented in a networked environment, such as over the Internet, to enable a plurality of players to each participate simultaneously in plays of the game using their own personal electronic device. For example, certain gaming systems enable a plurality of players to access those gaming systems via one or more web browsers running on one or more client computers, such as one or more desktop computers, laptop computers, tablet computers, personal digital assistants, mobile phones, netbooks, or other appropriate computing devices. Thus, players from different geographic locations each participate in a same game by accessing an appropriate server and providing wagers on plays of the game.
Certain casual or social games playable via social networks or online casinos in a networked environment employ virtual currency in the form of virtual points or credits which may not be redeemed for any monetary value (contrasted with land-based casinos which employ credits redeemable for monetary currency). Certain known casual or social games provide players virtual currency awards (contrasted with land-based casinos which employ monetary awards or awards of credit redeemable for monetary currency). Such causal or social games generally require the player to place or make a virtual currency wager to activate the casual or social game. The amount of the virtual currency wager made by the player may vary. In many of these casual or social games, the virtual currency award is based on the player obtaining a winning symbol or symbol combination and on the amount of the virtual currency wager (e.g., the higher the virtual currency wager, the higher the virtual currency award). The virtual currency award may not be redeemed for any monetary value and is available to be placed on a subsequent play of another casual or social game.
In addition to obtaining virtual currency via one or more casual or social games played, certain social networks or online casinos periodically provide an amount of virtual currency to players of the casual or social games. For example, an online casino gives players an amount of virtual currency daily or multiple times throughout a day. The amount of virtual currency given away at each interval may be predetermined (e.g., two-hundred virtual chips every two hours) or randomly determined (e.g., players spin a daily wheel to determine a daily give away of ten-thousand virtual chips to one-million virtual chips). Upon receipt of an amount of virtual currency, the players are free to use the virtual currency (which may not be redeemed for any monetary value) to play the above-described casual or social games (with a goal of winning even more virtual currency).
Moreover, certain social networks or online casinos enable players to purchase virtual currency using monetary currency. For example, to purchase an amount of virtual currency, the online casino causes a display of different pricing options or packages (e.g., from $1 to $100), where each package enables the player to purchase a set amount of virtual currency (e.g., one-million virtual chips for $1). Following the purchase of an amount of virtual currency, the players are free to use the virtual currency (which may not be redeemed for any monetary value) to play the above-described casual or social games (with a goal of winning even more virtual currency).
While such avenues to obtain additional virtual currency are available to players, social networks and online casinos are in need of alternative avenues to provide virtual currency to players. Accordingly, a continuing need exists to provide new and different ways to provide virtual currency to players.